Abstract

MASINGA, L. et al. "Hear our voices": a collective arts-based self-study of early-career academics on our learning and growth in a research-intensive university. Educ. res. soc. change [online]. 2016, vol.5, n.2, pp.117-135. ISSN 2221-4070.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2221-4070/2016/v5i2a8.

Early-career academics (ECAs) experience challenges with their integration into higher education institutions due to what is considered inadequate (or lack of) provision for effective professional development. In this article, we present our journey through a collective arts-based self-study project as ECAs guided by three seasoned academics: Kathleen Pithouse-Morgan, Daisy Pillay, and Inbanathan Naicker. We share our personal experiences and challenges faced as ECAs at the University of KwaZulu-Natal; to achieve this, we used a social constructivist lens to collectively engage in conversations as we constructed new understandings of ourselves and experiences as ECAs. We show how, through the research, we learned to form and position our learning and growth within the changing university setting. We adopted a collective arts-based, self-study approach to explore our experiences and what we felt needed to happen to provide meaningful development for the newly appointed as we journey through the unclear grounds of university life. We make visible how we as ECAs feel overwhelmed when entering higher education institutions because of the need to balance research, teaching, and other demands of academic life. We find a strong need for collaborative engagement between ECAs and experienced academics. In addition, establishment of a healthy working environment and policy specific to addressing the needs of ECAs would assist in providing clear support as ECAs transition into experienced academics. Finally, we demonstrate how we took our findings forward, and describe both the resistance and support we experienced.

Keywords : Early-career academics; arts-based collective; self-study; poetry; lived experiences; professional development.

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